(1) Field of the Invention
The disclosed inventive concept, entitled a “Plate Setter,” relates in general to grilling plates, hot plates, stone plates, or similar structures which may be used to heat or prepare food items. These type structures include those heating or grilling plates which may be connected to an electrical heating element or may be placed directly atop a stove, fireplace or other source of heat which generates temperatures high enough to grill, braise, bake, or fry food items.
(2) Description of the Related Art, Including Information Disclosed Under 37 CFR 1.97 and 1.98
US #2012/0318149 A1 (Dec. 20, 2012) Disclosed is a cooking grate and a grill assembly having one or more of the cooking grates therein. The cooking grate can be a one-piece structure but is preferably a two-piece structure wherein the upper piece comprises longitudinally extending food support ribs having hollow interiors. The ribs will be positioned over and cover open areas in the lower structure so that combustion gases flowing through the open areas of the lower structure will flow into the hollow interiors of the food support ribs.
US #2012/0199016 A1 (Aug. 9, 2012) A griddle pan which comprises a pan body having sides and an inside bottom defining a perimeter at which the sides protrude upward from the inside bottom. The inside bottom has a center and an upper face on which protrude upwardly rising ribs upon which food to be grilled is laid. The ribs have outside ends disposed at a distance from the sides. The ribs have upper surfaces all lying in a same horizontal, non-curvilinear plane and define intervening spaces therebetween.
US #2011/0067581 A1 (Mar. 24, 2011) A griddle top for the fast griddling of foods, includes a grill plate, which is disposed on a grill or another heat source, and in which a plurality of grooves are formed, the channels including three approximately flat strips, which are connected at their longitudinal edges to form an upwardly open profile, with at least one piece of food being in contact on at least two mutually spaced, elongated portions of its outer skin, or surface, with one of the three strips of a channel.
US #2010/0050884 A1 (Mar. 4, 2010) Disclosed is a grilling plate, which is divided into different sections, wherein at least a part of the sections is connected to a heating element. To better maintain different temperatures in different sections, the invention grilling plate comprises a plate forming the top side of it and extending uniformly along all sections, wherein the sections are divided by at least one groove being arranged in the bottom side of the plate.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,979,440 (Dec. 25, 1990) A barbecue grill insert that consists of a plate with a raised rim that is fabricated out of disposable heavy duty heat resistant material. The plate is perforated and when placed upon a permanent cooking grid of the barbecue grill will protect the grid from fluids coming from food thereon. The insert can be properly positioned on the bars of the cooking grid so that the fluids from the food will drip down between the bars through the perforations in the plate.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,385,357 (May 28, 1968) A combined heated tray and carving board structure is disclosed. The tray has a plurality of ribs which are adapted to fit correspondingly spaced grooves in the carving board. This board is adapted to be located at various locations along the length of the tray by certain of the ribs engaging the grooves in the cutting block or board, thus inhibiting motion of the cutting block along the length of the tray.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,344,735 (Oct. 3, 1967) A griddle-hot plate adapted to be used with either flat surface thereof facing a heat source and the opposite surface thereof providing direct or indirect cooking surface. The hot plate flat surface has a circumferential groove therearound, and an opposite surface which is substantially flat, at least one continuous rib wall substantially centrally disposed; and a multiplicity of legs extending from said surface. The centrally disposed rib wall is inserted into a center opening of a gas burner and the legs are adapted to insert through grid arms usually found in either gas or electrical ranges.